Health

Rahshana Price-Isuk: Giving back her share

Friday, 12 November 2010 13:57
Chris Garner Contributing Writer

Things have come full circle for North Minneapolis native Rahshana Price-Isuk, M.D., who has recently returned to the neighborhood to stake her spot as the first African American female medical director at Neighborhood HealthSource (NHS), formerly Fremont Community Clinics. "This wonderful opportunity will allow me to serve the community I grew up in, fulfilling a goal I have always had giving back to those who gave to me," said Price-Isuk.

The graduate of Northeast Junior High School and North Community High School credits her own family doctor as an important fixture to her becoming a doctor. It was extremely motivating to her to know that her doctorial dreams could be within her reach as long has she worked hard and knew that being a doctor was what she wanted to do.

Minneapolis Legislator of the Year Award

Thursday, 11 November 2010 15:57

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Minnesota presented State Rep. Frank Hornstein-DFL- 60B with a Legislator of the Year Award at its Annual Conference, held in St. Paul on November 6. “This past legislative session the House health and human services finance bill contained over $50 million in cuts to the mental health system, cutting respite care, supportive housing, school-based mental health services, and crisis team funding,” said NAMI’s executive director Sue Abderholden. “Rep. Hornstein knew the devastation that this would cause, and thanks to his efforts on the floor of the House, all the funding was restored. His actions were applauded by families and individuals across the state affected by mental illness.

What on Earth is "global dimming?"

Wednesday, 10 November 2010 17:52
EarthTalk® From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine.

Dear EarthTalk: I’ve heard of global warming, of course, but what on Earth is “global dimming?”-- Max S., Seattle, WA

Global dimming is a less well-known but real phenomenon resulting from atmospheric pollution. The burning of fossil fuels by industry and internal combustion engines, in addition to releasing the carbon dioxide that collects and traps the sun’s heat within our atmosphere, causes the emission of so-called particulate pollution—composed primarily of sulphur dioxide, soot and ash. When these particulates enter the atmosphere they absorb solar energy and reflect sunlight otherwise bound for the Earth’s surface back into space. Particulate pollution also changes the properties of clouds—so-called “brown clouds” are more reflective and produce less rainfall than their more pristine counterparts. The reduction in heat reaching the Earth’s surface as a result of both of these processes is what researchers have dubbed global dimming.

Meatless Mondays

Wednesday, 10 November 2010 17:48
EarthTalk® From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine.

Dear EarthTalk: I know that some people abstain from meat on Fridays for religious reasons, but what’s the story behind “Meatless Mondays? -- Sasha Burger, Ronkonkoma, NY

Meatless Monday—the modern version of it, at least—was born in 2003 with the goal of reducing meat consumption by 15 percent in the U.S. and beyond. The rationale? Livestock production accounts for one-fifth of all man-made greenhouse gas emissions worldwide and is also a major factor in global forest and habitat loss, freshwater depletion, pollution and human health problems. The average American eats some eight ounces of meat every day—45 percent more than the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recommended amount.

An outgrowth of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for a Livable Future, the Meatless Monday project offers vegetarian recipes, interviews with experts, various resources for schools, organizations and municipalities that wish to promote the initiative—and regular updates on Facebook and Twitter. “Going meatless once a week can reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity,” the group reports. “It can also help limit your carbon footprint and save resources like fresh water and fossil fuel.”

Can the military go green?

Tuesday, 09 November 2010 16:25
EarthTalk® From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine.

Dear EarthTalk: What is the U.S. military doing to reduce its carbon footprint and generally green its operations? -- Anthony Gomez, New York, NY

As the world’s largest polluter, the U.S. military has its work cut out for it when it comes to greening its operations. According to the nonprofit watchdog group, Project Censored, American forces generate some 750,000 tons of toxic waste annually—more than the five largest U.S. chemical companies combined. Although this pollution occurs globally on U.S. bases in dozens of countries, there are tens of thousands of toxic “hot spots” on some 8,500 military properties right here on America soil.

“Not only is the military emitting toxic material directly into the air and water,” reports Project Censored, “it’s poisoning the land of nearby communities, resulting in increased rates of cancer, kidney disease, increasing birth defects, low birth weight and miscarriage.” The non-profit Military Toxics Project is working with the U.S. government to identify problem sites and educate neighbors about the risks.

Scratching synthetics for Merino wool.

Tuesday, 09 November 2010 16:22
EarthTalk® From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine.

Dear EarthTalk: Merino wool undergarments tout themselves as being kinder to the environment than other wools or synthetics. How is this so? -- Stella Cooley, Bangor, ME

Since the 1970s, professional athletes and weekend warriors alike have sworn by base layers made out of synthetic “fibers” that would let sweat-based moisture escape, dry fast and be easy to care for. But such garments don’t come without trade-offs: They tend to get stinky when mixed with bodily odors and, like so many modern technological marvels, are derived from petroleum. Merino wool-based garments function just as well or better—and without the olfactory stigma or carbon footprint increase.

The soft and pliable cousin to the traditional wool our grandparents wore, Merino wool is revolutionizing outdoor wear while helping manufacturers and consumers lower their impact on the environment. This natural fiber, derived from Merino sheep in New Zealand, is soft on the skin, wicks sweat effectively, dries out quickly, is naturally odor-resistant—and is machine-washable to boot. And since Merino can be easily spun into different weights, it is used in a wide variety of clothing types (underwear, shirts, coats) making it a natural choice for layering.

The pledge to cripple Health Care for African Americans

Tuesday, 02 November 2010 16:57
Lesley Russell

House Republicans’ “Pledge to America” contains one particularly specific public policy proposal worth worrying about—the pledge to repeal the Affordable Care Act of 2009. This comprehensive health reform law, designed to fix our broken health care system over the coming decade, in particular provides a unique opportunity to address the health care disparities that African Americans experience from birth to death in the form of higher infant mortality, higher rates of disease and disability, and shortened life expectancy.

The "Pledge to America" would replace health care reform with a grab bag of isolated measures that mostly benefit those who already have health care coverage. These piecemeal measures will do nothing to address the hurdles such as lack of health insurance, lack of access to preventive care, and other barriers that black families face in getting access to the care they need. Let’s take a closer look at their pledge to understand just how devastating their proposals would be to blacks.

Recent Comments

Latest show

Crystal McCrary, director of the film 'Little Ballers'. Carmen Robles, associate editor for Afrodescendientes in Insight News. Mohamud Noor, interim director of the Confederation of Somali Community in Minnesota.